Linde announces new breakthrough environmentally friendly fumigant

Trade News

Munich, 15 November 2011 - Linde Gases, a division of The Linde Group, today announced plans for a new fumigant in cooperation with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia. The new fumigant, to be marketed as EDN®, will be used to limit the impact of pests and disease on timber and in agriculture. Based on ethanedinitrile, EDN® is an ozone friendly alternative to methyl bromide (MeBr), which was banned in many countries in 1992 by the Montreal protocol due to its ozone-depleting effects. EDN® surpasses the efficacy of MeBr, requires less dosage per crop, has a shorter fumigation period and has the additional benefit of leaving residues that degrade to become useful soil fertilisers.

Linde is constructing a new plant in the Czech Republic where it will produce up to 1,000 tonnes of the new fumigant by end of 2012. Linde has also begun the registration process in several countries, providing key information such as toxicology data and efficacy.

In addition to protecting major agricultural and forestry industries from pests and diseases, EDN® also has the potential for several important applications in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals where EDN® is used as a chemical building block in synthesis.

CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences Chief Mark Lonsdale said, "ethanedinitrile presents a great opportunity to limit the impact of pests and disease in certain industries and is a viable alternative to the ozone-damaging methyl bromide. The new fumigant is the result of many years of research and is a patented technology of CSIRO’s Ecosystem Sciences Division using ethanedinitrile as the active constituent."

The search for MeBr alternative fumigants at Linde began several years ago when Linde subsidiary BOC Australia collaborated with CSIRO, one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world. MeBr had been used for decades as a universal fumigant to control pests across a wide range of agricultural sectors but was phased out in most countries in 2005 due to environmental concerns and international obligations under the Montreal Protocol and is due for total phase out globally by 2015. The new break-through technology highlights Linde’s growing importance in the world fumigant market.

About The Linde Group
The Linde Gases Division, part of The Linde Group, is a leader in the international industrial and healthcare gases markets, providing compressed, bulk, specialty and medical gases, as well as chemicals to virtually all fields of industry globally. The company adds value to its customers’ businesses through the provision of state-of-the-art application technology, process know-how, services and equipment.

The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 50,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2010 financial year, it achieved sales of EUR 12.868 bn. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.